THOMASVILLE, Ga. – After a recent stretch of tough games, including two in the TU Classic and a pair of exhibition games, the Thomas University men's basketball team will welcome a struggling and winless Ave Maria squad to town on Dec. 5 for their Sun Conference opener.
 
The Night Hawks continue to alternate wins and losses, as a Dec. 2 home loss to Middle Georgia State lowered the team's record to 5-4.
 
Thomas is led in scoring by Adonai Rogers, Javoris Cooks, and Mike Lyons, as the trio is currently accounting for nearly 50-percent of the team's total offense.  Rogers is averaging 14.2 points per game, followed closely by Cooks and Lyons, who are averaging 13.7 and 12.6 points, respectively.
 
The Night Hawks have been evenly-matched with nearly every opponent on the 2015-16 slate thus far, as the team is remarkably averaging the same number of points per game (68.7) as it is allowing (68.7).
 
Saturday afternoon's matchup could be a good opportunity to widen that margin, however, as Ave Maria has been outscored by nearly 30 points per game so far this season, in addition to giving up 84 points per 40 minutes.
 
The Gyrenes are currently in a transition period, as the team is now under the leadership of first year head coach John Lamanna.  The new Ave Maria head man brings 15 years of experience to the Sun Conference, including stops as an assistant at the University of California and as a head coach at Franciscan University.
 
Ave Maria has struggled to replace the scoring of the team's three leading scorers from 2014-15, all of whom transferred or graduated at the conclusion of last season.
 
Martez Harris and Brandon Dean have been far and away Ave Maria's most productive players, as the duo is accounting for well over half of the team's total points.  Harris is averaging 16.3 points per game, while Dean is adding 13 points per game.  Each player is also shooting over 37-percent from three-point range.
 
Should Thomas shut down Harris and Dean, the team will have an excellent chance to open conference play with a 1-0 record.  Tipoff on Dec. 5 at TU Gymnasium is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
 
For up-to-date information on this game and other TU Athletics, visit http://www.TUNightHawks.com. Stay up-to-date with news, scores, photos, game summaries, play-by-play, and feature stories of your TU men's basketball team by following them via Twitter at @NightHawksMBKB.